


My Name

by shadowhostage (thenakednymph)



Series: Broken Things [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2013-03-13
Packaged: 2017-12-05 04:30:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/718911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenakednymph/pseuds/shadowhostage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Gold finds a girl stumbling out of the forest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Name

She came tearing out of the forest, briars tangled in her hair and covered in mud, nearly tackling him to the ground in her attempt to escape whatever was chasing her. He dropped his cane and stumbled backwards, clinging to her as much as she did to him in an effort to stay upright. A light mist was coming down and water dripped from her as she shivered against him, but whether it was from the cold or fear he didn’t know.

“Are you all right dearie?” He tried to pull away to get a better look at her, but she gave a cry of terror and held him all the tighter.

“Wolf- a wolf chasing me,” she gasped, “it tried to kill me.” She wept into his shoulder and he held her awkwardly. It had been a lifetime since he’d last comforted someone so afraid and he hadn’t been much good at it then either. 

“It’s all right,” he soothed. “I won’t let it get you.” 

The girl peeked up at him through a mask of blood and a breathy sound of surprise passed his lips. She was bleeding from a head wound, further aggravated by her running. He pulled his pocket square free and pressed it over the wound. 

She flinched away and he scolded her lightly, urging her to hold still. “What happened?”

The girl sucked back her tears and swallowed thickly. “I tripped when it was chasing me, cracked my head against a rock.” 

Gold peeked at the wound from under the bloody pocket square and frowned. “This is going to need stitches dearie. I have to get you to the hospital.” 

The girl stepped back out of his grasp and shook her head. “I’m fine,” she argued, fear in her eyes. 

Gold shifted his weight painfully without his cane, the bloody cloth clutched in his hand. 

“All right,” he conceded softly. “No hospitals, but it still needs to be stitched.”

The girl bit her lip and glanced around at the forest and he knew she was thinking about running and taking her chances, but finally she nodded and Gold smiled at her bravery. She took a few cautious steps forward, allowing Gold to once again apply pressure to the wound. 

“Hold that there.” He pressed her hand over the cloth to hold it in place and bent to retrieve his cane, struggling with the ache in his knee. The girl reached around him and retrieved the cane for him and Gold smiled softly, surprised at her thoughtfulness. Few would have done as much for him. 

They walked side by side; Gold watching her carefully incase she grew lightheaded or looked ready to faint. For all he knew she had a concussion. 

“Do you have a name dearie?” he asked as she slipped her arm around his waist to help him along and for some reason he let her. 

The girl smiled up at him with eyes he hadn’t seen in years and his heart skipped a beat. “Rose.”


End file.
